Come Explore with the Planetary Society and learn about discoveries on Mars, the Moon & More!
ARIZONA SKIES & NEW DISCOVERIES!
April 21-28, 2013

Dear Members & Friends:
We invite you to join us to explore new discoveries on Mars and the Moon and to see the natural wonders of this desert paradise on Arizona Skies & New Discoveries Expedition.

Join Bryan Bates, popular leader of many Planetary Society trips, as we gather in Tucson, Arizona, to begin our exploration. Tucson is the “Astronomy Capital of the World.”

We will have the extraordinary opportunity to meet the scientist who postulated the origin of our Moon and learn about current research at the Planetary Science Institute.

At the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which is surrounded by Saguaro National Park, there is a fascinating exhibit on the origin of life on earth. You will also have an opportunity to see spectacular desert plants and wildlife, including the iconic desert bird, the roadrunner!

On the north edge of the Santa Catalina Mountains, we will visit Biosphere 2 where scientists spent two years living under conditions similar to a space station or orbiting satellite. You will see different ecological habitats and have an interactive tour of the facilities.

Our adventure will continue to Kitt Peak which has a large collection of optical telescopes. We will learn about their amazing research on the sun and then return to Tucson via the 300-year-old Mission San Javier del Bac, which beautifully represents the Spanish heritage of Tucson.

We will have a special lecture by the scientist who was in charge of the Phoenix Mars Lander (that completed its mission in 2008) which found water ice at the north Martian pole and compounds that have the ability to support life.

From Tucson, our adventure will next take us north to Sedona, where you may take a hot air balloon ride (a near earth adventure for Mars enthusiasts!). Explore Red Rock State Park (whose rock formations look like Mars). Then see Palatki Heritage Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers a wonderful glimpse into early native American life.

Near Flagstaff, we will visit the famous Meteor Crater. Walk to the edge and imagine the crater-pocked surface of the Moon, Mars, and other planets. Then enjoy an evening visit to Lowell Observatory where dark skies make the Milky Way a wonder to see!

We invite you to explore the extraordinary wonders in Arizona this year and hope you will join us!

Sincerely,
Bill Nye, The Science Guy®
Executive Director

2011 Brochure (Requires an Adobe pdf reader to view)